Page 45 - LTHC Publics Catalog, Spring 2018 Update

THROUGH THE LENS (ENGL 419 Project)

Photovoice is not like other research methods. It is not a mundane question-and-answer survey that participants
may feel anxious to finish, and it is more engaging than a simple focus group, which may leave participants feeling
like objects being studied and not human beings. By allowing participants to take photos of their everyday lives, we
as researchers are able to see real, in-the-moment pictures of their successes, challenges, and thoughts. Photovoice
allows participants to be engaged in a study as individuals, not just research subjects. When looking at the clients of
LTHC, we want to know them as people, not data, and photovoice protects that notion by using their own photos
and through the photo prompts. Each prompt may be interpreted differently by different participants, which leads
to information that is personal, insightful, and ultimately more useful. Photovoice is appropriate for a project such
as this because the participants easily be actively involved in the study, and photos provide researchers with rich and
valuable information.

This research method was really beneficial because it got participants talking about what really matters to them. The
pictures had the ability to start a conversation relating to very difficult and sensitive topics. Because the participants
could take the photos and answer the prompts on their own time, they could afford to be brutally honest. And LTHC
can benefit from that honesty.

This is a type of research method that we recommend LTHC use in the future. It has a low cost, both in equipment
and time, and it is easy to get highly visual data from clients. Photos and visual arguments tend to be more impactful in
the public sector, on social media, and in forward-facing grants and outreach. Additionally, the narratives and quotes
that we gathered this year can be augmented exponentially by working with other clients in the future. These visuals
and narratives are a promising way to help connect the larger Lafayette/West Lafayette community with the humanity
of LTHC’s clients.

Photovoice Prompts

1. What makes some parts of town safe or unsafe?
2. What are your most useful resources on any given day?

3. Where do you look to find resources?

4. How do you get around town? How do you get from point A to B typically?

5. What motivates you to keep going?
6. Take a picture of something that has changed for you, since you entered permanent supportive housing or started
working with LTHC.

7. What does LTHC mean to you?
Recurring Prompts:

1. Take a picture of the best part of your day.

2. What is something you struggled with this week?

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